The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 253

2 AM.

The Doctor sat alone in his ruined lab, organizing his thoughts.

He was compiling the information he had obtained from the Vinoshu attack.

‘The time between the start of the attack and Sein Vinoshu’s response is too short.’

It took less than a minute for all the attackers to die.

The response was so fast that not even 20 people could fully enter the garden.

Considering Sein’s personality, this response speed was logically impossible.

‘A lazy absolute being. Sein Vinoshu went out of his way to come outside the mansion and slaughter the attackers. He even went through the trouble of keeping two alive…’

In other words, there’s another reason for Sein Vinoshu’s quick response.

This makes sense.

‘So, what could be the reason Sein Vinoshu had to move so quickly?’

The reason he went out of his way to suppress them early, even going outside the mansion.

There’s only one answer.

‘Obviously. To hide the existence of Ruan Palatia.’

He had heard that Sein Vinoshu trusted Ruan Palatia quite a bit.

As much as he trusts him, there’s a high probability that he’s hiding Ruan inside the mansion.

That’s why he responded so quickly before the attackers could infiltrate the mansion.

To hide the existence of Ruan Palatia.

‘If that’s the case, there’s a high probability that Sein Vinoshu found out about this place, the research lab.’

If Sein is hiding Ruan, it means Ruan told Sein everything.

“Tsk.”

The Doctor clicked his tongue.

Things had gone terribly wrong.

‘Of all people, why did Sein Vinoshu have to get involved?’

Sein Vinoshu.

The monster the Doctor had been wary of since he built the lab in Paris.

He couldn’t capture Ruan Palatia unless he defeated that monster.

His annoyance grew even more.

‘The good thing is that Shadow said he’d help without saying much.’

The Doctor can’t beat Sein Vinoshu.

But Sein Vinoshu can’t beat Shadow.

That’s how their compatibility is.

The Doctor’s ‘Authority of Annihilation’ is completely nullified by Sein Vinoshu’s sword strikes, losing its power.

But Shadow’s ‘Umbra’s Shadow’ perfectly blocks and absorbs Sein’s sword strikes.

‘If Shadow can just take care of Sein Vinoshu, I can handle the rest by myself.’

The Doctor’s ‘Authority of Annihilation’ is effective against multiple enemies.

In fact, the more enemies there are, the greater its effect.

The Doctor’s mana nature, ‘Virus,’ is structured that way.

Without the absolute powerhouse, Sein Vinoshu, no one can stop the Doctor.

‘I’ve reached a conclusion.’

There’s no reason to back down.

The Doctor chose to fight.

He would deal with Sein Vinoshu, capture Ruan Palatia who was hiding behind him, and retrieve the Ignis he had taken.

‘And analyze how he was able to take the Ignis.’

This is a blessing in disguise.

A golden opportunity to breathe new life into his stagnant research.

The Doctor smiled.

A gruesome smile that gleamed with madness.

“I was wondering why I hadn’t heard from you. So you were doing research in a place like this. Did you develop a vintage hobby?”

At that moment, a shadow flickered in front of the Doctor. A shadow that slowly transformed into a human shape.

The shadow soon became Shadow.

“You came quickly.”

“It seemed quite urgent. I flew here as fast as I could.”

“I see.”

The Doctor desperately held back a laugh and answered nonchalantly.

It was ridiculous that he had flown at top speed to save the enemy who had made him like this.

‘What kind of expression would he make if he knew I was his enemy?’

If possible, he wanted to tell him right now.

That he was the one who put the shadow in him. What kind of expression would Shadow make then?

‘Just imagining it is thrilling.’

The Doctor’s eyes were filled with feelings of pleasure and joy.

Once this was over, he would reveal everything.

‘He’ll realize he fought Sein Vinoshu desperately for his enemy, and despair even more, right?’

The Doctor licked his lips.

He was already looking forward to that moment.

“So. What’s the situation now? Did someone attack this lab or something?”

“Yes. There were intruders.”

The Doctor put his dark emotions aside for a moment and began to explain the current situation.

There was an intruder named Ruan Palatia.

That bastard had dared to steal the most important item being researched in this lab.

He explained everything, including the fact that he was highly likely hiding in the Vinoshu residence.

“Stealing important research materials is a stain on your record. Are you sure it’s okay to talk about it so openly?”

“I just didn’t want to create a bigger stain by hiding information here.”

“You’ve changed quite a bit since I last saw you. You used to erase your stains by any means necessary. Isn’t that how you were?”

“You remember well.”

Once this was over, the executive, Shadow, would fall as his experimental material.

Stain or whatever, it didn’t matter what he said.

That’s why he was being so honest about everything.

‘It’s also because I’m going to use you as an experimental subject to erase my only stain.’

The Doctor smiled maliciously inside, while maintaining a blank expression on the outside.

“Of course, that thought hasn’t changed. However, the situation is what it is right now. It’s an unavoidable situation.”

“You’re not planning to kill me later to keep my mouth shut, are you?”

“Of course not. We’re colleagues. We’re both executives. I may not be in my right mind, but I’m not crazy enough to harm a colleague.”

The Doctor lied without batting an eye.

“Hmph. You don’t have to put it that way to say you’re worried about the Black Magic King. Hearing the word ‘colleague’ from your mouth makes me want to throw up.”

“That’s too harsh.”

“Your personality is harsh.”

Shadow frowned, genuinely disgusted.

“Anyway, I understand the situation. So, why did you call me? What do you want me to help with?”

“I want you to deal with one person.”

Shadow’s eyes narrowed.

“Don’t tell me that one person is Sein Vinoshu?”

“You’re quick to catch on.”

“…I’m going back.”

Shadow pretended to turn around.

“Whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. I’m not asking you to defeat him. Just hold him off for a bit. It shouldn’t be difficult with your abilities, right?”

Despite the Doctor’s persuasion, Shadow began to disappear into the shadows. It looked like he was really going back.

“Tsk. You’re impatient. Fine. I’ll offer you a reward.”

“Now you’re talking.”

At the Doctor’s words, Shadow came back out of the shadows.

“Okay. What will you offer as a reward for holding off Sein Vinoshu?”

The Doctor paused for a moment to think.

He had called Shadow to deal with Sein Vinoshu, but he hadn’t thought about how to lure him.

Perhaps because he thought of him as his experimental material, he had assumed that he would naturally follow his orders.

‘…What should I do?’

The Doctor’s brain quickly spun.

‘Okay. This is good.’

The method quickly came to mind.

“You were looking for a way to remove your shadow, weren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll give you information about your shadow.”

“……”

Shadow’s expression turned grim.

“You’re not lying, are you?”

“Of course not. Do you think I’m crazy enough to lie?”

“……”

“It’s true. If you don’t believe me, you can tell me the real name of your shadow first. You’ve always been curious, right?”

“…Tell me.”

The Doctor’s eyes widened slightly at Shadow’s reaction.

‘This reaction…’

It seemed that Shadow had found out what his shadow was called.

If so, things would go faster.

“Umbra’s Shadow. That’s what your shadow is called.”

“…Indeed. You do seem to know something.”

Shadow’s eyes lit up with curiosity.

‘As expected. He already knew about the name Umbra’s Shadow.’

With this, the Doctor’s offer became credible.

Since the name Umbra’s Shadow overlapped, Shadow had no choice but to believe the Doctor’s words.

“Okay. I accept that offer. I’ll hold off Sein Vinoshu at the exact timing you specify.”

“Good. Then, in return, I’ll share all the information I know as soon as this is over.”

The two recited the terms of their contract.

“When do I move?”

“Tomorrow… no, it’s today now. I plan to attack the Vinoshu residence at 6:30 AM. At that time, you can use the Shadow Sanctuary to block off Sein Vinoshu.”

“3 hours and 30 minutes from now. That’s quite fast. Is there a reason you’re in such a hurry?”

“Ruan Palatia. I don’t know when that guy will leave the Vinoshu residence. I have to deal with him before that.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if he escaped? If you get help from Hermes, you can easily catch him without Sein Vinoshu’s interference.”

“……”

The Doctor frowned.

“I see. You don’t want Hermes to know about your stain. Is that it?”

Shadow nodded as if he understood.

“…I like how quickly you understand things.”

Shadow clicked his tongue inwardly, seeing the Doctor’s displeased expression.

‘Shin Hayul’s prediction was right again.’

Judging by the fact that he sent attackers to gather information, there’s a high probability that he’s not receiving support from Hermes.

Shin Hayul had said that.

And that prediction was correct.

‘…Is everything, from start to finish, in Shin Hayul’s palm?’

Shadow chuckled as if amused. He wanted to praise his past self for choosing to contact Shin Hayul.

“If you don’t have Hermes’ support, you won’t have a way to grasp the current external situation. Then, I’ll take charge of reconnaissance from now until the start of the operation tomorrow.”

“If you’re going to do reconnaissance, I couldn’t ask for more.”

“For your information, it’s not free. I’ll bill you for the reconnaissance later, so keep that in mind.”

Just as Shadow was about to scatter his shadows and move outside, it happened.

Kugugugugugung-!

The entire lab suddenly shook.

It was subtly different from an earthquake.

It felt like the aftereffects of an explosion were shaking the lab through the ground.

“It’s different from what I heard.”

Shadow glared sharply at the Doctor.

“I didn’t hear anything about them coming to attack.”

“……”

The Doctor’s brow furrowed.

He looked like he hadn’t imagined that they would attack so quickly.

“Can you check how many attackers there are?”

“Can’t you check with the CCTV?”

“There are no CCTVs in the corridors.”

“How sloppy. Is that why you allowed the intruders to infiltrate?”

Shadow looked at the Doctor with a pathetic gaze.

The Doctor’s expression turned even more ferocious at Shadow’s sarcasm.

“Anyway, I understand. I’ll check.”

Shadow turned his gaze away from the Doctor and scattered his shadows.

The shadows moved quickly along the corridor.

The shadows arrived at the location of the intruders in an instant.

“There are ten intruders. Eight of them are wearing robes and masks, making it impossible to identify them.”

“What about the other two?”

“One is a blonde man. He has a sharp impression and is wearing the uniform worn by knight school instructors. He’s also carrying a sword, so he seems to be a swordsman.”

“Ruan Palatia.”

“Hmm. So this guy is Ruan Palatia.”

“What about the other one?”

“Is there really a need to say it?”

Shadow shrugged and trailed off.

“…Is it Sein Vinoshu?”

“You know him well.”

“Tsk.”

The Doctor clicked his tongue.

“When things don’t go well, they get tangled up like this.”

He never imagined that they would attack first.

Nothing was going according to plan.

The Doctor’s anger surged again, almost to the point of explosion.

But that was only for a moment, and the Doctor soon returned to a calm state.

‘Calm down. This situation is not bad for me at all.’

It was quite annoying that the plan was constantly going wrong, but there was no need to get angry.

‘They came to fight in a place that is advantageous for me.’

The Doctor’s mana nature is ‘Virus.’

His mana is more efficient in this underground environment.

If he fights here, there’s no way he can lose.

This situation is actually a chance.

“So, what should I do? Do I just need to hold off Sein Vinoshu?”

“Yes. It’s a bit early, but I’ll ask you to do it.”

“Okay. As soon as they reach the entrance, I’ll trap Sein Vinoshu in the Shadow Sanctuary and block him off.”

As Shadow said that, he disappeared.

‘Good. Now I don’t have to worry about Sein Vinoshu.’

That leaves nine opponents, including Ruan Palatia.

He could handle nine with his eyes closed.

‘Come on. Ruan Palatia. I’ll show you how foolish your choice was.’

The Doctor suddenly remembered an old story.

The story of the tiger, the rabbit, and the fox.

‘The rabbit riding on the tiger’s back is eaten by the fox as soon as the tiger disappears.’

That’s exactly the situation now.

What kind of expression will Ruan Palatia make when he loses the tiger, Sein?

The Doctor’s smile deepened.

‘Come on. Come on.’

With the Doctor’s anticipation, time passed quickly.

The intruders arrived at the entrance of the lab.

And at that moment, Shadow’s shadow expanded.

He must have activated the Shadow Sanctuary.

‘Good. With this, Sein Vinoshu is blocked off.’

Now, all that’s left are the riffraff.

As the Doctor was certain of that, the intruders slowly revealed themselves.

The first thing that caught his eye was the hateful face of Ruan Palatia.

“Welcome, Ruan Palatia. I’m so glad you came back to me on your own two feet…”

He was about to mock Ruan for making such a foolish choice.

“… !”

The Doctor’s eyes widened and he closed his mouth.

“Are you the Doctor?”

The person who shouldn’t have been there appeared behind Ruan.

“You… how…?”

“Why are you so surprised? Is it that strange that I came all the way here?”

“……”

The Doctor frowned and thought hard to grasp the current situation.

‘What happened? Sein Vinoshu should have been trapped and blocked in Shadow’s Shadow Sanctuary. Why is Sein Vinoshu perfectly fine here…? Did it fail? Then where is Shadow…?’

As the Doctor’s mind was filled with questions.

“They say the rabbit who sought power by riding on the tiger’s back was eaten by the fox as soon as the tiger disappeared.”

“… !”

Sein uttered a familiar phrase.

“Don’t you think that’s an old story that perfectly suits your current situation?”

Sein twisted the corners of his mouth.

“No. Maybe it’s a little different.”

With a sneer, he drew his sword.

“The rabbit and the tiger in the old story were very close friends, but the rabbit now is an even bigger fool who doesn’t even know that the tiger is his enemy.”

Saaaaaaaah-!

The shadow expanded again.

The shadow soon took the form of a castle.

“Shadow… Sanctuary…?”

The Shadow Sanctuary perfectly trapped the ten intruders, including the Doctor.

Now, until Shadow releases the sanctuary, no one can get out.

“Shadow, you bastard, don’t tell me… !”

The Doctor, having grasped the situation, shouted in anger.

“So, how does it feel to be bitten in the back by the tiger you thought was your friend?”

Sein Vinoshu mocked the Doctor.

The Doctor met Sein Vinoshu’s gaze and unleashed an even greater rage.

“How dare you, how dare you betray me? A sample like you… ! How dare you!!”

The Doctor’s angry cry filled the inside of the Shadow Sanctuary.

“Checkmate, Doctor.”

Looking at the Doctor, Sein slowly took a stance.

Certain kill.

The world’s best killing sword, filled with the will to kill, bared its fangs at the Doctor.